Reading fluency is the ability to read a story with ease. It is one of the most important skills for a child to master in the early elementary years. Not only does a fluent reader make the transition to being a fluent writer much easier than a non-fluent reader, but as students get older reading plays an important role in math, science and social studies, too. If you are concerned about your child’s reading skis, here’s some advice to increase reading fluency.

Read aloud to your child to improve reading fluency. Even if your child is old enough to read by himself, it’s helpful for him to hear someone more experienced read to him. He will get a better sense of rhythm. And if you pick a variety of different styles, it will help develop an appreciation for all types of books. Meanwhile, it is beneficial for your child to gain knowledge from books, opening his eyes to people, places, animals and ideas.

Create a reading area. Give your child a place to which he can go to be comfortable while he reads, one that is filled with his own books. While it may not help with the technical components of fluency, it helps in building an overall appreciation for reading.

Paired reading is more than reading aloud. Paired reading can mean alternating sentences while you read with your child or reading aloud together Just come up with a signal to indicate when your child wants to read a sentence by herself or is stuck on a word. Reading with someone else encourages students to ty reading materials that maybe above their usual reading level, while also building oral skills.

Practice critical reading with your older child. Fluency isn’t just about being able to recognize the words and read them expressively at a good pace. It means reading with the goal of finding deep understanding of what you have read. Critical reading is a critical skill for third, fourth and fifth graders.

When You Snooze (贪睡), You Lose!

Last Wednesday, I set my alarm for seven o’clock in the morning, just like I always did. But I’d gone to bed a little later than usual, so when it went off, I rolled over and hit the snooze button, thinking I’d have five more minutes of sleep before I got up. For some reason, the snooze alarm didn’t go off. When I saw that it was 7:45, I couldn’t believe it!

Since I was late, I skipped breakfast, and I didn’t make the bed or straighten up my room even though it was part of the “house rules”.

I ran as fast as I could to catch the school bus, but even so, I missed it. Luckily for me, my father hadn’t left for work yet, so I asked him for a ride to school. He wasn’t too happy about it because it meant he would be late for an appointment he had set up. So he was annoyed with me, especially since it was the second time in two weeks that I had missed the school bus. We rode to school in total silence.

By the time I got to school, the bell had already rung, so I had to go to the office to get a “late pass” before I could be admitted to class. That’s when I remembered that I hadn’t asked my father to write a note for my being late. He’d been in such a bad mood, and I knew that this was especially directed at me, so I decided there was no way I could call him now. Besides, he was sure to be in his meeting.

So, there I was, sitting out the first hour in the principal’s office. Things were really starting to snowball but it was only the beginning. Since I was absent from my first-hour class, I missed my science test. My teacher said I couldn’t make up the test since I was absent without leave. But I really needed that test to improve my grade point average. My dad promised to give me half of the money for a car if my grades improved by the end of this semester. So I started thinking about not being able to buy a car, and I got even more upset.

Then I was preparing for my second-hour class when I discovered my math book was missing.

Knowing I would surely be scolded for my skipping class, I went home in fear.

I was pacing back and forth as I looked up and down the street for my mom’s car. She had never been before. The fact that she wasn’t picking up her phone was what worried me the most.

Burring!!! My phone suddenly rang out.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Where are you?” my brother asked.

“I’m in front of my academy waiting for Mom to pick me up, but she’s 20 minutes late,” I replied. He then calmly said, “Don’t worry, but Mom was in a car accident. I’m coming to get you right now taxi. Wait out front.”

As we stepped into our empty home, I felt terrible. My mom quit her job and became a housewife after had children, so she was always at home taking care of us. As the youngest daughter, I never made chore. To suddenly have her away from the house made my hands shake.

“Listen Grace,” my brother said.“ I’m not sure how long Mom is going to be gone, so we have to up. Dad’s always busy with work and comes home late, so it’s going to be just the two of us for ale.”

“Who’s going to take care of us?” I asked in a low voice.

He looked at me confidently and said, “It’s high time that we took on some responsibility, right?” Holding back tears I lied and said, “Right, I can handle it.”

The next few days were a nightmare as I had to do everything since my brother left home for university. Clothes were piling up, but I didn’t know how to use the washing machine. Trash piled up as the training family members just ordered food for every meal and I didn’t know where to throw away them. I spent most of my day at home looking at the mess enlarging itself like a growing mountain.